You've Always Been There
by ApplesAndRoses
Summary: Literati. Picks up when Rory is leaving Jess when she visits him at Truncheon in Season 6. She hadn't felt those kinds of emotions in years, but it felt nice to have them brought back. As guilty as she was feeling, she couldn't help bringing her fingers to her lips, remembering how Jess' mouth felt.


Hello all! It has been literal years since I have written any kind of story, but thanks to Gilmore Girls being on Netflix and all the gifs on Tumblr, I have become inspired once again! This picks up right when Rory leaves Jess at Truncheon in season 6. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.

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><p>"<em>Hey, if- uh- it makes you feel better, you can always tell him that we did something."<em>

"_Thanks, Jess."_

As Rory walked out of Truncheon and out of Jess' life, she couldn't help but wonder what had just unfolded.

_We kissed. Jess and I just kissed. _

She hadn't felt his lips against hers in years, and it had just happened. As quickly as the kiss had come and gone, all the memories of their past had flooded back to her. Their teenage years had been fast and lust-driven. They hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other; it was some of the best moments of her life. There was no denying the chemistry that had always existed between them, even before they had gotten together. So many months spent hiding her feelings for Jess, which tormented Dean to no end. How had time gone by so quickly? Rory frowned. In some way, she had always had strong feelings for Jess;_ it was_ _Jess_, after all. But now, now she just told the one person she had always cared the most about that she was in love with someone else. _Kissed_ that person in order to make someone else jealous, someone who had cheated on her countless times.

_When did everything get so screwed up? How could I have possibly screwed up this badly? I'm such an idiot, what is wrong with me? _

Rory started driving away from Philadelphia, realizing the complexity of what had just happened. She told him she loved Logan, that she was _in love_ with him. Yes, she loved Logan, but was she really in love with him? Was he worth all the trouble… was he actually better than Jess? Rory sighed.

_Of course he wasn't better than Jess._

Jess had become such an amazing adult; he couldn't be further from the Jess she had dated in high school. He was a man now, and a great looking one at that. Rory couldn't help but smile. She liked his hair slightly longer, it made him look more mysterious and artsy; just like the writer he was. She thought to herself about how he had matured, how different he was… how different he was from Logan.

_Jess had looked really, really good tonight_. _His hair, his clothes, just everything. His whole style is just so sexy and appealing. It's so…Jess. _

Having all of these sudden thoughts rush in was too overwhelming and at that moment Rory felt like crying.

_Why did I do that… Why did I hurt Jess_. _I shouldn't have even come. It would have been easier for me to not see him at all than this. I'm an awful person, I really am. I cheated on my boyfriend with my ex-boyfriend who I quite possibly might still have feelings for. I'm the shittiest person in existence. _

She felt like crying even more when she pictured how upset he looked. She didn't even have time to process it back at the bookstore, it had all happened so fast. There was no mistaking the pained look in his eyes when she said she was still with Logan. He said he didn't deserve the way she had treated him, and he was right. Anything he had done to her in the past, he still didn't deserve thinking he could have her back, only to realize the time wasn't right once again.

Her mind drifted back to how it felt to kiss him again. She hadn't felt those kinds of emotions in years, but it felt nice to have them brought back. As guilty as she felt, she couldn't help bringing her fingers to her lips, remembering how Jess' mouth felt. The kiss had been short, but held so much emotion between both of them; it left some kind of powerful feeling within her.

_God, what do I want? Do I want Logan? Do I want Jess? Could I possibly want Jess… after all these years, all the time that has passed, is this something I could possibly want? Maybe that kiss is going to my head. Or maybe I'm still in love with Jess…_

Rory spent the entire drive back thinking about everything that had happened. She knew Logan wasn't the great love of her life, and honestly she didn't really know why she had stayed with him for this long. She guessed because he had been unpredictable, gotten her out of her shell. But he had also let her drop out of school, gotten her arrested, and cheated on her more times than she probably knew about. When she got back, she kept thinking about it, and the more she thought about it, the more Logan seemed awful and disgusting; and she couldn't believe the person she was describing in her head was her boyfriend. Yes, Jess didn't call a lot and yes, he left without saying goodbye, but he had never cheated on her and she truly believed he loved her.

A few more hours of sitting on the couch making a mental pro and con list, it was like something clicked. She wasn't sure if she had officially gone insane or if everything was finally starting to make sense, but her decision felt right. It left her with a feeling of hopefulness, mixed with a slight anxious sensation because she didn't quite know how it would all work out. She figured she would have to start right at the problem and thus, made a phone call.

30 minutes of arguing with Logan later, she was officially a single lady. She realized the life she was living wasn't the best one that could be in store for her. That there were so many better options out there. And even if that option couldn't be Jess, she had to try. She couldn't leave it the way they left things. She couldn't deal with the memory of his disappointed look forever on her conscience. However, just as she was about to make some moves, she happened to glance at the clock. _2:28. _

_If I'm going to do this, I need to do it right. And showing up at Jess' doorstep in the early morning wouldn't be the best way. And what if he had someone with him? Oh God, what if he _did_ have someone with him. _

What if all of the emotionshe had caused, caused Jess to sleep with some random person tonight? Rory took in a deep breath. She couldn't let herself think of those things. Even if that had happened, he had every right to do whatever he wanted. Afterall, he had no idea about the conclusion she had come to tonight. She really needed to get some sleep before she kept herself up all night thinking about scenarios she had no idea were possible or not.

The next morning Rory woke up as early as possible and got ready for her drive back to Philadelphia. She almost couldn't believe what she was doing, and it took several motivating talks to get herself in the car and on the road. She kept thinking of all the horrible ways her little road trip could turn out.

_What if he won't forgive me? What if he is so mad at me that he can't look past me still being with Logan when we kissed. I can't take this, I can't take him turning me down. I don't fully even understand what I'm doing. Last week, I was happy with Logan- partially- and now I'm driving to Philadelphia for the second time in two days to see my ex-boyfriend and express my feelings for him. I think I have officially gone crazy, mom would be so proud. _

After a few hours of going back and forth in her head, she arrived at Truncheon whether she was ready for it or not. Rory took a deep breath and slowly got out of her car. She felt like she was going to faint. She must be seriously crazy for even attempting to do this. A few hours spent with Jess and one little kiss, and here she is reevaluating her entire life, completely changing it, completely putting herself out there for rejection. But not just for anything. For _Jess_.

When she went through the doors, she saw Jess on the other side of the room talking to some woman, most likely a customer, showing her a book. Rory took a second to really look at him. In that moment, he looked happy; like he had finally found something he actually enjoyed doing. Something he could take pride in. In that moment, she felt like she was doing the right thing, even if it was absolutely ludicrous.

Suddenly, she saw him glance over at her and his smile dropped.

_Here goes nothing._

Jess walked over to her with a stern look on his face. She braced herself for the worst that could come.

"Rory, what are you doing here?"

"Jess.."

She looked at him unable to speak. The whole drive over, she had practiced a million different ways to start this off and now she couldn't think of a single one. Jess was staring at her, obviously wanting some answers. In fact, his eyes were demanding them. After a few seconds of her being completely frozen, Rory finally got up the courage to speak.

"Jess, I couldn't leave things the way they were when I left. I just left and… and I shouldn't have. I should have explained things better. I didn't mean to hurt you, I never meant to. I'm so sorry. I just needed to say that."

Jess arched one eyebrow, still making Rory feel uncomfortable with his form of a withering stare.

"So, you drove all the way back to Philadelphia to tell me that?"

"Yes… and to… to tell you that I broke up with Logan."

This suddenly got Jess' attention. His eyebrows raised in shock and his eyes softened slightly to the warm brown she was used to.

"Why?"

"I don't know… I just," Rory sighs and takes a deep breath, "I realized I didn't like myself with him. Being here, with you, it made me realize Logan isn't the love of my life."

Jess sighed and Rory was unable to read his expression.

"Last night you seemed to feel entirely different. It seemed to me that you proclaimed your love for him, despite how much of an asshole he is. I don't have time for this, Rory. You can't come here expecting to just say sorry and have everything be okay just for the sake of your conscience being cleared."

"I know… I didn't mean to make you think that… It's just that… everything took me by surprise and… I really never meant to hurt you, but I realized that kissing you felt good. And that you never cheated on me, and even after you left, I never stopped caring about you. I couldn't leave things the way they were last night. I did a lot of thinking and I realized it's not Logan I'm meant to be with."

Jess still seemed skeptical, but his body language became less tense. Rory couldn't tell what he was thinking or if he even believed a word she was saying to him. She felt so nervous, she had never had so many butterflies in her stomach before. After a few seconds of staring at each other, Jess broke the silence.

"What are you trying to say Rory. Because your mind seemed pretty made up last night, and I really can't take another let down from you."

Rory released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"I love you, Jess. That's what I realized. I'm in love with you. I know I told you I was in love with Logan, and I do love him to some degree. But that's what I realized after I left last night. It's not the same kind of love, it never was. You have always been there for me. You came and swooped in when I most needed it and made me realize I needed to get back in school. You're the reason I mended things with my mom. You've always been there. I know you're mad at me, and I'm sure you don't trust me much right now, but please believe me," her blue eyes pleaded, "I drove all the way here because I wanted to tell you I love you... I love you, Jess."

Jess stared at her for a few more seconds. Rory really hadn't anticipated this much silent staring between them. She felt so nervous at what he was going to say. She didn't think she could handle being rejected by Jess, of all people, very well. But then he spoke…

"Are you really done with him?"

"Yes. I have never been more done with something in my life."

"I need to know you're serious about what you're saying, Rory. I can't handle you coming here and having it get taken away again."

Rory nods, "I know. And I need you to believe me when I say I want this. I know we don't exactly live close to each other, but we can work it out somehow. I'm willing to do whatever it takes, Jess."

"Okay."

It's reassuring to Rory that Jess hadn't lost his monosyllabic speech habits. Before she could register what was happening, Jess had gotten closer to her and started pulling her in. He put his hand on her arm and slightly tightened his hold. His other hand went to her cheek and before she knew it, his lips were once again upon hers. It was like fireworks went off inside her head. It was magical… it was perfect. The kiss started out slow and apprehensive, moreso on Jess' part because of the rejection he had faced just the night before. But as soon as Rory's hand went to his chest while her other one wrapped around his neck, he became bolder with the kiss and deepened it. Rory gladly opened her mouth to him, almost in disbelief that this was actually working out the way she had hoped. They stayed that way for a few more moments before Jess pulled away.

"Well, I certainly didn't plan on my day turning out this way. I'm glad it did though."

"Yeah?"

Jess smiles, "Yeah. Come here."

He pulls her into a hug and she embraces it with everything she has. They kiss once more and it's comforting to Rory that this has all happened the way she was hoping it would.

"I love you too, you know," Jess says so quietly, its barely above whispering.

Rory smiles as she looks up into Jess' warm brown eyes. Even though he's grown older, he hasn't lost his youthful look about him. She almost can't believe the way things have turned out in the last 24 hours. It seems too good to be true, but it also feels right. It feels like something that should have happened years ago, but she is so glad it is hasn't happened until right now, at this very moment.

"So are you hungry?"

"Starved."

Jess smirks, "I know a place."

Rory smiles at him and kisses him softly on the lips one last time before they both gravitate towards the front door. They fall into a banter that they both feel is more comfortable to them than anything else in the world. As Jess leads Rory out the door, his hand glides over to hers, grabbing onto it in the gentlest way possible. She naturally leans into his embrace as they begin to walk the streets of Philadelphia together. Finally together.

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><p>Please let me know what you thought!<p> 


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